Slowworm

Despite its name, the slowworm is a lizard with no legs that happens to look like a snake, and is not, in fact a worm. Neither is it poisonous, although it is sometimes confused with the adder, which is a real snake. Latin fans should know that the scientific name for a slowworm is Anguis fragilis, should you spot one and wish to note it down in a lizard spotting book or directory.

Bodily functions

The slowworm is around 12 to 20 inches long (30-50cm), with smooth, grey-green or brown skin, a small head, and - this is crucial - eyelids. Snakes do not have eyelids, but lizards, like the slowworm, do. If it looks like a snake, but it blinks in surprise when it sees you, it's a slowworm. Don't worry if you come face-to-face: it won't bite. Ladyslowworms have a dark stripe on their underbelly, and have generally darker skin than males overall. Like other lizards and snakes, it uses a forked tongue to sense it's way around by smell, taste and air pressure.

Like other lizards, if a predator has the slowworm's tail in its grasp, the crafty lizard will shed its tail in order to escape. The tail will regrow over time, though not as long as the original - but still, a short, stumpy tail is better than being eaten, and no doubt provides for an interesting talking point at lizard cocktail parties. Being a nocturnal animal means the slowworm has a lot of time to spend at cocktail parties, or perhaps to spend foraging for slugs, earthworms and insects, which are its natural diet. That, and canapés.

At home with the Slowworm

Slowworms are found in moist, shady areas with loose soil, as they like to be able to burrow and hide during the day. They are found all over Europe and north-west Asia. Being cold blooded, they normally spend the daytime resting, though if they are particularly cold they are known to come out into the sunlight in order to raise their body temperature. If a slowworm finds it's way onto rural or tended land, they will quite happily live under piles of rubbish, paving stones, or in your compost heap. If you want to encourage slowworms to live in your garden, leave some messy corners or an overgrown rockery for them to make their home in. As a rule, Mother Nature likes things natural, so let your garden run wild to attract some wildlife!

These little lizards don't bite, they eat slugs, and the will happily live in compost. They're a gardener's best friend! Slowwormshibernate over winter, in underground burrows. When the weather starts to hot up around spring time, first the males and then females come out for a long summer of lazing in the sun, and best of all: breeding.

The little baby slowworms grow inside an egg sac over the summer, and are born during September / October time. Incubating eggs internally and giving birth like this has a technical term, we can say that slowworms are ovo-viviparous. You can safely forget this word now.